Packaging device having a fixed center,sliding split cover



p 1969 R. J- BROERSMA 3,469,366

PACKAGING DEVICE HAVING A FIXED CENTED. SLIDING SPLIT COVER Filed Nov..5, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 a]? 9 W r-- q- 1' "W n Q- A) INVENTORATTUPA/EVJ Sept. 30, 1969 PACKAGING DEVICE HAVING A FIXED CENTER.SLIDING SPLIT COVER Filgd Nov. 5, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a n S E co I- '3Q 5 I @v I 4;, r-- E g INVENTOR I POBEPT c/ BPOZPJ'M/J p 30, 1969 R. J.BROERSMA 3,469,366

PACKAGING DEVICE HAVING FIXED CENTER. SLIDING SPLIT COVER Filed Nov. 3,1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 U Li "4 I |52? 38 (\SI @O@ 1/// "5 "Z I5 V Y Z. '68 CA4 ///////\///A B U 1/ LL INVENTOR B05557 J 5P0F5MA AT/UFA/ZVF YUnited States Patent US. Cl. 53-124 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE'A packing machine having a casing formed of at least three arcuatesections, the lower section being fixed and the upper sections beingmounted for reciprocal movement toward and away from the lower section.The'casing sections permit the packing material placed in the casingsections to be shaped into' a generally cylindrical form. A pusherelement is provided to push the packing material and the nursery objectpacked therein out of the casing. Intermittent feed meansis provided fortransporting a measured charge of packing material from a supply hopperto the casing. Guide means is provided adjacent the movable casingsections to guide same into mating relationsliip with the fixed section.The latter guide means also acts as a receiving means for a portion ofthe packing material whereby the movable sections fold the packingmaterial over the nursery objectwhen the casing sections areclosed.

This application is an improvement the machine disclosed in my copendingapplications Ser. No. 243,044, filed,Dec,.'7, 1962, now Patent No.3,284,981. and Ser. No. 576,807, filed Aug. 31, 1966, now Patent No.3,426,- 359.

This invention relates to a packing machine and, more particularly,relates to a machine for packing items of nursery stock into packagesfor storage, handling and merchandising.

In a machine intended for the same general purposes as hereincontemplated, which machine is disclosed in my copending applicationSer. No. 243,044, there is provided means for supplying dirt or otherpacking material to a shuttle, the shuttle then places a measured amountof the. packing material into a plurality of open clamshell-like casingsections, a plant is airanged thereon, the casing sections are closed toform the packing material around the plant roots, and then a ram movesthe packing material and plant together out of the closed .casing andinto l3. container, such as a pot or a bag.

This machine works very successfully but, in a continuing effort toimprove the same, certain additional features have been developed whichprovide substantially improved operation under certain operatingconditions.

- Particularly, in the earlier machine, the casing sections are ofgenerally arcuate shape which are fastened by continuous hinge membersat the lower edges thereof. When the casing sections are openedoutwardly to receive a measured amount of the packing material, thehinge is exposed to the packing material as it is deposited into3,469,366 Patented Sept. 30, 1969 no clogging of the hinge structure.However, certain types of packing material have a tendency to becometrapped in the hinge structure, thus requiring a greater amount of powerto open and close the casing sections. Furthermore, such a collection ofpacking material in the hinge requires that the casing sections and theassociated hinge structure be periodically cleaned to insure propermachine performance. Accordingly, in the present development there isprovided a plurality of easing sections which cooperate in a manner soas to require no hinge inner connections between the casing sections orany other related structure.

A further problem encountered with the previous ma- I chine was thatsome or all of the casing parts upon which the casing section.Generally, the packing material causes v the packing media rested weremoved when the casing was closed and this sometimes shifted the quantityof packing media and the plant more than was entirely desinable.Accordingly, in the present development there is provided a lowersemi-circular casing section in which the packing media can be depositedby the shuttle but which does not move during the closing of theremainder of the casing and hence the undesired movement of the centralportion of the packing materal does not occur. A still further problemencountered with the previous machine was that the casing sections wereactuated by a power means located beneath the sections, the power meansgenerally consisting of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder being coupledto the casing sections by means of a yoke or a linkage. Furthermore, thepower means, being located beneath the casing sections, was exposed to aconsiderable amount of contamination due to packing media either fallingthrough or spilling over the easing sections. The power cylinder thushad to be periodically cleaned and the seals periodically replaced dueto the large amount of packing material which collected in this area.Accordingly, in the present development, there is provided powercylinders which are directly coupled to a split casing cover, thuseliminating the need for any yokes or linkages therebetween and thussimplifying the construction and maintenance of the machine.Furthermore, the power cylinders are located above the lower casingsection and are therefore not exposed to the packing material whichspills therefrom. The power cylinders are thus in a much cleanerenvironment and require much less maintenance than in the previousmachine.

Another problem encountered with other previously known machines wasthat the packing material was generally deposited between the casingsections in a single operation, a suflicient quantity of material beingdeposited to fill the entire sections, the plan then being placed on thepacking material and the casing sections closed to form the packingmaterial around the plant. These machines encountered the problem thatthe movement of the packing material when the casing sections wereclosed caused the plant to be displaced from the center of the casingsection. Other machines, to overcome this problem, utilized a two-stepoperation whereby a portion of the packing material was initiallydeposited into the casing area, the plant was then positioned on thepacking material, and then an additional amount of packing material wasdeposited over the top of the plant before the casing sections wereclosed. These machines are successful in maintaining the plant centeredrelative to the casing but require a two-step operation for depositingthe packing material therein. Accordingly, in the present development,there is provided a lower semicircular casing section having fixedflanges thereon, the packing material being deposited in the lowercasing section and onto the flanges by the shuttle in a single-stepoperation, the plant then being deposited on the packing material in thelower casing section and the movable casing sections then being closedto scrape the packing material off the flanges and fold the same overthe top of the plant so as to maintain the plant in the desired centralportion of the casing.

Further, in prior devices, plants with large roots presented a loadingproblem with respect to which previous attempted solutions have been ofonly limitedly satisfactory nature. Particularly, the opening previouslyprovided adjacent the tube forming means in prior devices for insertinglarge plant roots has presented some danger to the operators fingers.

Accordingly, the major objects of the present invention include:

(1) To provide an improved machine for packing material around the rootsof a plant and then further packing same into a container, such as apot.

(2) To provide a machine, as aforesaid, which is similar in purpose tothe machine shown in my application Ser. No. 243,044 and applicationSer. No. 576,807, but which is easier to construct and easier tomaintain.

(3) To provide an improved packing machine, as aforesaid, in which thecasing for holding the item to be packed and for shaping the packingmaterial around the item is comprised of at least three separatesections, one of which is fixed, forming an upwardly open receptacle forreceiving the packing material and the item to be packed, the othersections being reciprocally movable into engagement with the fixedsection so as to form substantially a cylinder and in so moving to thesecond position to force the packing material around the item and shapethe packing material into a substantially cylindrical shape.

(4) To provide an improved packing machine, as aforesaid, in which thelower casing section remains stationary while the upper casing sectionsare moved from a first position out of engagement to a second positioninto engagement with the first casing section.

(5) To provide an improved packing machine, as aforesaid, in which themovable casing sections are positively moved to and from a closedposition by power operated means.

(6) To provide an improved packing machine as aforesaid, in which themovable casing sections are positively movable by means of a powersource which is mounted above the lower casing section.

(7) To provide an improved packing machine, as aforesaid, in which theupper movable casing sections are connected directly to power cylinders,thus eliminating the need for any movable linkage means therebetween.

(8) To provide an improved packing machine, as aforesaid, in which thecasing sections are moved together into abutting relationship during theclosing operation, thus eliminating the need for any hinges orequivalent structure therebetween.

(9) To provide an improved packing machine, :as aforesaid, in which thepacking material is deposited into the casing sections in a singleoperation, while accurately maintaining the plant in a central positionwithin the casing when the casing sections are closed.

(10) To provide an improved packing machine, as aforesaid, which retainsthe advantages of the machines described in my applications Ser. No.243,044 and Ser. No. 576,807, and which has additional operationaladvantages.

(ll) To provide an improved packing machine, as aforesaid, which willprovide means for feeding to the machine plants with large roots butwhich will do so without introducing a danger of injury to the operator.

(12) To provide an improved packing machine, as aforesaid, which willguide both roots and leaves of a plant smoothly and neatly into place.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will be apparent to personsacquainted with machines of this type upon reading the followingspecification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an improved packing machineaccording to the present invention with one of the power cylindersremoved for purposes of clarification.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the apparatus with the hopper and diverterstructure removed, the apparatus being shown with the casing sections ina closed position and the container C having been filled.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a preferred form of the invention takenalong the line III-III of FIGURE 1 showing the casing sections in aclosed position with the shuttle retracted into the hopper.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 3 showing the casingsections in an open position.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIGURE 3illustrating a. second embodiment of the invention showing the casingsections in a closed position with the shuttle retracted into thehopper.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 5 showing the casingsections in an open position.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view showing placement of a pot on theapparatus embodying the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary oblique view of the pusher and loading funnel.

General description The packing machine according to the presentinvention comprises a casing formed of at least three arcuate sections,one of the sections being fixedly mounted to the machine and the othersections being mounted above the fixed section for reciprocal movementtoward and away from the fixed section. The casing sections can bebrought together to form substantially a cylinder whereby the item ofnursery stock and the packing material placed in the casing are shapedinto a generally cylindrical form. A pusher element is provided to pushthe packing material and the object packed therein out of the casing andthence out of the machine. The hopper for supplying the packing materialis disposed above the casing. Intermittent feed means, such as areciprocal shuttle or feed drawer is provided for transporting ameasured charge of packing material from the hopper to the casing. Asuitable funnel and guide structure is provided between the feed drawerand the casing in order to guide the packing material into the casingsections. Guide means is also provided adjacent the upper movable casingsections to guide the movable sections into proper mating relationshipwith the fixed section. The latter guide means also acts as a receivingmeans for a portion of the packing material deposited into the casingwhereby the movable sections fold the packing material over the plantwhen the casing sections are closed.

Detailed description In the following description, certain terminologywill be used for convenience and reference which will be recognized forconvenience only, and as not limiting. For example, the terms rightwardand leftward will refer to directions to the right or left as appearingin the drawings in connection with which such terminology is used. Theterms upward and downward will refer to directions with respect to theapparatus in its normal position in use. The terms inward and outwardwill refer to directions toward and away from the geometric center ofthe apparatus. Such terminology will also include derivatives of saidwords above mentioned as Well as words of similar import.

Referring first to the drawings, there is provided a 'table 1 supportedon any convenient frame indicated only schematically at 2 and 3, thesame being arranged to stand upon the floor or any convenient support.Supported upon such table is a plate 4 which in turn supports aninverted channel member 8 whose flanges are aflixed to the plate 4, suchas by welding. A pair of end plates 9 and 11 are aflixed to the oppositeends of said channel 8 and extend upwardly therefrom.

A plurality of substantially arcuate casing members, shown as sections12, 13 and 14 are arranged between the end plates 9 and 11 for relativemovement therebetween. The lower casing section 12 is generally fixedrelative to the machine, here by being connected to the end plates 9 and11 by any suitable means, such as by welding. The lower casing section12 is preferably formed as a hemicylindrical member with flanges 15extending from the opposite edges thereof. The upper casing sections 13and 14 are mounted for approximately opposed reciprocal movement, thesections 13 and 14 being guided by and slideable on the flanges 15.Movement of the upper casing sections to a closed position causes theupper sections 13 and 14 to be brought into abutting relationshipsimultaneously with each other and with the lower fixed casing section12. The casing sections are shown in a closed position in FIGURE 3,while FIGURE 4 shows the casing sections in an open position.

Any convenient means may be provided for moving the casing sectionsbetween the open and closed positions. As shown in FIGURE 3, pneumaticor hydraulic power cylinders 51 and 52 are mounted outwardly of themovable casing sections 13 or 14 for controlling the reciprocal movementthereof. The movable casing sections in this embodiment have a block 16welded to the exterior surface thereof, the block being provided'with asuitable threaded aperture therein. The piston rod of the power cylinderis threadedly connected to the block 16, thus permitting the powercylinders to control the reciprocal movement of the casing sections 13and 14. A lock nut 17 is provided adjacent the block 16 to lock themovable casing sections and their respective piston rods in aselectiverelative relationship. Suitable limit switches (not shown) can befixedly mounted on the machine, such 'as on the flanges 15 or the endplates 9 or 11,'to coact or cooperate with the piston rods tocontrol-the stroke extremities of the movable casing sections ifdesired.

The flanges 15 of'the fixed casing section 12 have a flat upper surface18 which is parallel to the axis of the piston rods, The lower edges 21and22 of. the movable sections 13 and 14 slide upon the surface 18during the reciprocal movement of the sections so as to push any packingmaterial deposited on the flanges into and over the packing materialdeposited into the semicylindrical portion of the lower casing section12.

' Any convenient means for urging the casing sections 13 and 14 into theopen position may be provided. As shown, the power cylinders 51 and 52are double acting and are thus energized in the reverse direction todrive the piston rods outwardly to open the casing sections. However,any other suitable means, such as springs or the like, could be utilizedfor opening the casing sections since the only loads encountered duringthe opening operation is the weight of the piston and the associatedcasing section.

- A circular opening 33 is provided through the end plate 9 ofapproximately the same size and coaxial width, the interior diameter ofthe cylinder formed by the casing sections when the same are closed withrespect to each other. A guide cylinder 34 is affixed rigidly to the endplate 9 coaxial with said opening 33, the leftward or discharged end ofsaid guide member 34 being shaped in any of many ways for facilitatingthe discharge of packed material from said guide member to a bag orother container indicated in broken lines at C.

A circular opening 37 is located centrally of the plate 11, the opening37 having a diameter substantially equal 6 to and coaxial with theinternal diameter of the casing section 12 afiixed thereto. A pusher 38is provided with a radius slightly smaller than that of the opening 37,but nevertheless, capable of clearing the same only slightly as itreciprocates and thereby passes through the end plate 11. Said pusher 38may, if desired, be of a single or multipart construction. Pusher 38 isprovided with an opening 39 of radius slightly larger than the radius ofthe plant to be packed. Said opening may be circular, ovate or a slot asdesired. The pusher 38 is removably secured to a rod 41 which is mountedon a slide 42, the slide 42 reciprocating on a guide member 43 which issupported by brackets 44 and 46 rigidly on the table 1. The rod 41 isreciprocated by any convenient means, such as a plunger 48 of a suitablepower cylinder 47. Preferably, said power cylinder 47 will bepneumatically operated but this is a matter of choice.

Any convenient hopper means 50 (FIGURES 3 and 4) may be provided abovethe casing sections and may be operated either manually or automaticallyfor dispensing packing material into said lower casing section 12 whendesired. In the embodiment illustrated, the hopper is stationarilysupported on the frame, being vertically and sidewardly offset from theend plates 9 and 11, but being lo? cated in lateral alignment therewith.The hopper is provided with an opening 54 through which a reciprocatingtrap device 53 is extendable. Said trap 53 is provided with an openportion 56 for defining a measured quantity and a solid shuttle 57 forclosing the opening 54 when same extends therethrough. If desired,plate-like spacers may be secured in the feed drawer to adjust thevolumetric capacity of the opening 56 therein. The lower side of thefeed drawer 53 is close by a wall 59 when the drawer is directlyunderneath the hopper 50. A power cylinder, such as an air cylinder 58,is provided for reciprocating the trap 53. While any convenientresponsive means may be used, a fluid pressure switch 61 is hereprovided to be actuated by the slide 42 when same is in its retractedposition (rightward in FIGURE 1) whereby to energize the cylinder 58 forconveying packing material from the hopper 50 into the casing section 12when the casing sections are in their open position. A second pressurefluid switch (not shown) may be provided for operation when the casingsections are in their closed position so as to energize the cylinder 47and cause plunger 48 to move leftwardly (as seen in FIGURE 1) forpurposes as set out further hereinafter.

As shown in FIGURE 3, a foraminous cover plate 62 extends between theupper edges of the end plates 9 and 11. A pair of spaced-apart sidewalls 63 and 64 also extend between said end plates. The rear side wall63 has an opening 66 therein through which the feed drawer 53 can reciprocate, the front side wall 64 being closed. The lower portions 67and 68 of the side walls 63 and 64 converge in a downward directionsubstantially as shown. The side walls 63 and 64 in conjunction with theend plates 9 and 11 function as a funnel and guard structure to confinethe flow of packing material as it drops by gravity from the feed drawer53 into the lower casing section 12, leakage of the packing materialthus being minimized.

The power cylinders 47, 51, 52 and 58 may be operated either manually orautomatically in a predetermined sequence with a minimum effort on thepart of the operator by means of a pneumatic or hydraulic controlsystem. Such control systems are well known in the art and thus couldobviously be incorporated into the present apparatus for controlthereof. Furthermore, such a control system is shown in my copendingapplication Ser. No. 243,044.

A funnel 36 is preferably provided on the pusher 38 and may beadditionally supported, if desired, on the rod 41. The funnel 36 is ofshape converging toward the opening 39 and may be fastened in place byany convenient means, such as welding.

Operation Assuming for purposes of illustration that the device thus fardescribed is to be used for packing smalland flexible plants such ascarnations into peat moss and then into a receptacle such as a paperbag, the hopper 50 will be appropriately supplied with peat moss, asupply of such plants will be placed on the table 1 adjacent the endplate 11 and a supply of receptacles is placed on the table adjacent theother end plate 9. The trap 53 will be in its retracted position in thehopper as shown in FIGURE 3, while the casing sections will be in anopen position as shown in FIGURE 4. The operator will, in starting themachine, actuate cylinder 58 which causes the shuttle 57 to extendoutwardly from the hoppe (rightwardly as shown in FIGURE 4) over thelower casing section 12. The opening 56 carries a predetermined amountof peat moss which is thus deposited into the open casing section. Theopening 56 is sized so as to deposit enough packing material tocompletely fill both the upper and lower casing sections when they arein a closed condition. The shuttle 57 is then retracted into the hopperwherein the opening 56 is again filled with peat moss.

After the shuttle 57 has been extended over the open casing sections,the material contained in the opening 56 will fall through the funneland be diverted by the converging side plates 67 and 68 into the regionof casing half 12. The falling packing material will then be depositedinto the lower casing section 12 and onto the extending flanges 15. Byproper design of the parts sufficient packing material will be depositedinto the semicircular casing section 12 to essentially fill the samewith the remainder of the packing material spilling out of the casingsection onto the flanges 15. The broken line 69 indicates the usualpattern assumed by such packing material at this point. The operator, bymeans of the opening 39, and using funnel 36 if desired, will then lay aplant on the upper surface of the peat moss which has been deposited inthe lower Casing section with the roots of the plant to the left of theend plate 11 and the upper part of the plant extending through theopening 39 and lying to the right of the end plate 11. The operator thenplaces the mouth of the receptacle over the guide cylinder 34.

The power cylinders 51 and 52 are then actuated to move the upper casingsections 13 and 14 inwardly toward the fixed casing section 12. As theupper casing sections slide along the surface 18 of the flanges 15, thepacking material deposited thereon is pushed into and over the packingmaterial and plant previously deposited into the fixed casing section12. The movable casing sections 13 and 14 continue to move inwardlyuntil they come into abutting relationship with each other and with thelower fixed casing section 12. The closure of the casing sections thusforms the packing material therein around the plant with the plantsubstantially centered in the packing material. Such centering isassured due to the fact that only approximately one-half of the packingmaterial was originally deposited into the lower casing section, theremainder of the packing material being deposited onto the flanges 15.The cylinder 47 is now energized to urge the pusher 38 forwardly(leftwardly as appearing in FIGURE 1) by which the body of the packingmaterial with the plant therein is urged axially of the closed casingsections outwardly therefrom through the guide cylinders 34 and into thereceptacle C. The receptacle C with the packing material and planttherein may now be drawn off from the guide cylinder 34 and the packingcycle is completed. Simultaneously therewith, or immediately thereafter,cylinders 51 and 52 are de-energized in the inward directions andenergized in the outward directions to permit the pistons to return totheir original positions and thereby retract the upper casing sections13 and 14 to their original open position as shown in FIGURE 4. Cylinder47 is likewise energized in the reverse direction to retract the pusher38 into the starting position and the machine is ready for theenergization of cylinder 58 and the commencement of another cycle.

Modification FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrate a modification of the basicmachine described above. Since the modified machine utilizes the samebasic support structure, hopper structure and ram structure, the samereference numerals have been utilized to denote these elements as wereused above.

Referring to FIGURES 5 and 6, there is shown a plurality of arcuatecasing sections 112, 113, and 114 arranged between the end supports 9and 11 for relative movement therebetween. The lower casing section 112is generally fixed relative to the machine, here by being connected tothe end plates 9 and 11. The lower casing section 112 is provided withhorizontal flanges on the opposed edges thereof. The upper casingsections 113 and 114 are mounted for opposed reciprocal movement in ahorizontal direction between the end plates 9 and 11. Movement of theupper casing sections to a closed position causes the upper sections 113and 114 to be brought into abutting relationship with each other attheir upper edges and into abutting relationship with the lower casingsection 112 at their lower edges respectively. The casing sections areshown in the closed position of FIGURE 5, while FIGURE 6 shows thecasing section in the open position.

The movable casing sections 113 and 114 are reciprocated by means ofpower cylinders 151 and 152 in the same manner as previously disclosed.Actuation of the power cylinders 151 and 152 causes the movable casingsections to slide along the upper surfaces of the flanges 115, thusforcing any packing material deposited thereon into and over the packingmaterial already deposited into the semicircular portion of the lowercasing section 112.

Where the device is intended to fill relatively small pots in place ofthe sack-type containers C, a pot P may be placed over the end of theguide cylinder 34 and held in place, usually by hand, as indicated inbroken lines in FIGURE 7. The apparatus and the rest of the operation ofthe device remain the same as above described.

It will be recognized that by this mechanism a single operator can packa large number of items of nursery stock in a relatively short time butthat the device may be changed readily with respect to the type of plantbeing packed, the type of packing material being used, and the type ofcontainer into which the packing is placed all without modification ofthe apparatus. Hence, this machine is particularly suited for handlingrelatively small quantities of a diversity of products and packingsituations and it will accomplish such packing both accurately andefiiciently.

Further, the machine described is of low cost both to build and tomaintain. The machine requires no complicated linkages for the operationof the casing sections and, therefore, dependability of operation isassured. Furthermore, all power mechanisms and moving parts are locatedin a region which is remote from the packing material, thus eliminatingcontamination and clogging of the movable parts. Thus, very littlecleaning and maintenance of the machine is required, time spent forrepair thus being held to a minimum resulting in the most eflicientutilization of the machine.

The machine described is furthermore well adapted for varying degrees ofautomation which may be applied thereto. For example, any or all of theair cylinders 47, 51, 52 and 58 may be eliminated and the operationsperformed thereby may be readily carried out by hand upon theapplication of suitable handles to the rod 41, shuttle 57 and casingsections 13 and 14 respectively. Suitable conveyors may be provided bothfor supplying plants and containers to the machine and for removingpacked containers away from the machine. Hence, the machine, thoughsimple, is extremely versatile and the single basic machine may bewidely adapted to many specific packing conditions and requirements.

Although particular preferred embodiments have been described above forillustrative purposes, it will be recogmzed that variations ormodifications of such disclosure which lie within the scope of theappended claims are fully contemplated.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclu- Trve property orprivilege is claimed are defined as folows:

1. packaging device, primarily for nursery stock, comprising incombination:

a frame;

a substantially horizontal cylindrical packing casing comprising a lowercasing section and at least two upper movable casing sections;

means fixedly mounting the lower casing section relative to said framewhereby the inner arcuate surface thereof opens upwardly in a verticaldirection;

closure control means for effecting reciprocable movement of said uppercasing sections between an open position in which said upper casingsections are spaced outwardly from said lower section and a closedposition in which said upper sections abut each other and said lowersection and define a generally cylindrical packing space, said uppercasing sections when moved from said open to said closed position bysaid closure control means each having a component of motion inopposition to one another;

reciprocable ram means positioned adjacent one longitudinal end of saidcasing sections and aligned with the packing space defined by saidcasing sections when they are in said closed position, and means foreffecting reciprocation of said ram means into and out of said packingspace so that when the casing sections are in an open positionpacking'material can be deposited therein and then said casing sectionscan be moved to their closed position in order to shape said packingmaterial into a generally cylindrical shape, following which said rammeans may be moved lengthwise through said packing space to dischargethe packing material therefrom; and

flange means fixedly positioned adjacent the opposite longitudinal edgesof said lower casing section, said flange means extending outwardly atan angle relative to the vertical direction.

2. A packing device according to claim 1, in which said closure controlmeans is disposed above said lower casing section and includes tworeciprocable members, each of which is respectively coupled to one ofsaid upper movable sections, said members movable inwardly to move saidupper casing sections to said closed position and movable outwardly toeffect movement of said upper casing sections to said open position.

3. A packing device according to claim 2, in which said flange meansincludes flanges extending from each longitudinal edge of said lowercasing section, each of said flanges acting as a guide means for one ofsaid upper casing sections.

4. A packing device according to claim 3, further including feed meansfor depositing packing material into the lower casing section when theupper casing sections are in the open position, said feed meansdepositing a suflicient quantity of packing material during oneoperation thereof to completely fill the packing casing when thesections are moved to the closed position, approximately one-half of thepacking material being deposited in the lower casing section with theremainder of the material being deposited onto the extending flangesthereon whereby the material may be removed from the flanges and foldedover into the cylindrical casing when the upper casing sections areclosed.

5. A packing device according to claim 3, in which said extendingflanges lie in a plane which is angularly inclined relative to ahorizontal plane, and wherein said closure control means includes afirst and second power source respectively coupled to the upper movablecasing sections, each of said upper casing sections being reciprocablymovable on one of said extending flanges whereby said casing sectionsmove in substantially opposed directions when the casing sections areclosed.

6. A packing device according to claim 3, in which said extendingflanges lie in a horizontal plane, and wherein said closure controlmeans includes a first and second power means respectively coupled tosaid upper casing sections, whereby said upper casing sections arereciprocably slideable on said extending flanges in opposed directionswhen said upper casing sections are moved from an open to a closedposition.

7. A packing device according to claim 3, in which said lower casingsection is substantially a hemicylindrical member, and said upper casingsections are each substantially a quarter-cylindrical member.

8. The device of claim 1 including an opening through said ram means forintroducing therethrough the plant to be packed.

9. A packaging device, primarily for nursery stock, comprising incombination:

a frame;

a substantially horizontal cylindrical packing casing comprising aplurality of relatively movable casing sections;

means mounting said casing sections on said frame for relative movementbetween a closed position in which said sections abut each other anddefine a generally cylindrical packing space and an open position inwhich at least one of said casing sections has the inner arcuate surfacethereof opening upwardly in a vertical direction so as to permit packingmaterial to be deposited therein;

closure control means for effecting movement of said casing sectionsbetween said open position and said closed position;

reciprocable ram means positioned adjacent one longitudinal end of saidcasing sections and aligned with the packing space defined by saidcasing sections when they are in said closed position, said ram meansincluding an opening through said ram means for introducing therethroughthe nursery stock to be packed;

funnel means associated with said ram means for guidin-g said nurserystock to said opening, said funnel means having one end thereof fixedlysecured to said ram means in partial surrounding relationship to saidopening with said funnel means diverging outwardly away from saidopening, and said funnel means extending longitudinally away from theone longitudinal end of said casing sections when said reciprocable rammeans is positioned adjacent said one longitudinal end; and

means for effecting reciprocation of said ram means into and out of saidpacking space;

whereby when the casing sections are in an open position packingmaterial can be deposited therein after which said casing sections canbe moved to their closed position in order to shape said packingmaterial into a generall cylindrical shape and thereafter said ram meansmay be moved lengthwise through said closed casing sections to dischargethe packing material therefrom.

10. A packaging device according to claim 1, in which said closurecontrol means includes a first fluid pressure cylinder interconnected toone of said upper casing sections for lineraly moving same from the opento the closed position, and a second fluid pressure cylinderinterconnected to the other upper casing for linearly moving same fromthe open to the closed position, said fluid pressure cylinders beingpositioned on opposite sides of said lower casing section wit-h each ofsaid upper casing sections having at least one longitudinal edge thereofslideably guided on said flange means as said upper casing sections aremoved toward said closed position.

11. A packaging device according to claim 1, further including feedmeans for depositing a predetermined quantity of packing material intosaid lower casing seca ll tion and onto'said flange means 'When theupper casing sections are in the open position, said predeterminedquantity of packing material being deposited. during'one operation ofthe feed means and being sufficient to completelyfill the packing casingwhen the casing sections are moved to the closed position, approximatelyonehalf of the predetermined quantity of packing material beingdeposited in the opened lower casing section with the remainder of thepredetermined quantity of packing material being deposited onto theextending flange means and folded over into the cylindrical packingspace when the up'per casing section-s are closed.

References; Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,857,824 10/1958 Fair '100 2323,055,153 -9/196'2 RomineL; 53 -124 3,143,836 8/1964 Weller 53-1243,001,345 9/1961 2 1181 53-124 TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner

